Christianity as the Soul of the West

Christopher Dawson
Taken from The Dawson Newsletter, Winter 1995. All works by Christopher
Dawson Julian hilip !"ott, #$$%.
The mo&ern &ilemma is essentially a spiritual one, an& e'ery one of its main
aspe"ts, moral, politi"al an& s"ientifi", brin(s us ba"k to the nee& of a
reli(ious solution. The one remainin( problem that we ha'e (ot to "onsi&er
is where that reli(ious solution is to be foun&.
)ust we look for some new reli(ion to meet the new "ir"umstan"es of the
"han(in( worl&, or &oes the Christian faith still supply the answer that we
nee&*
+n the first pla"e, it is ob'ious that it is no li(ht matter to throw o'er the
Christian tra&ition. +t means a (oo& &eal more to us than we are apt to
realise.
As + ha'e pointe& out, it is the Christian tra&ition that is the most
fun&amental element in Western "ulture. +t lies at the base not only of
Western reli(ion, but also of Western morals an& Western so"ial i&ealism.
To a far (reater e,tent than s"ien"e or philosophy, it has &etermine& our
attitu&e to life an& the final aims of our "i'ilisation. -et on the other han&
we "annot fail to re"o(nise that it is .ust this reli(ious element in Western
"ulture that is most "hallen(e& at the present &ay. The ma.ority of men,
whate'er their politi"al beliefs may be, are prepare& to a""ept s"ien"e an&
&emo"ra"y an& humanitarianism as essential elements in mo&ern
"i'ilisation, but they are far less &ispose& to a&mit the importan"e of
reli(ion in (eneral an& of Christianity in parti"ular. They re(ar& Christianity
as out of tou"h with mo&ern life an& in"onsistent with mo&ern knowle&(e.
)o&ern life, they say, &eals with fa"ts, while Christianity &eals with
unpro'e& an& in"omprehensible &o(mas. A man "an in&ul(e in reli(ious
beliefs, so lon( as he treats them as a pri'ate lu,ury/ but they ha'e no
bearin( on so"ial life, an& so"iety "an (et on 'ery well without them.
)oreo'er, behin& this 'a(ue ten&en"y to treat reli(ion as a si&e issue in
mo&ern life, there e,ists a stron( bo&y of opinion that is a"ti'ely hostile to
Christianity an& that re(ar&s the &estru"tion of positi'e reli(ion as
absolutely ne"essary to the a&'an"e of mo&ern "ulture. This attitu&e is most
in e'i&en"e in !o'iet 0ussia, where, for the first time in the history of the
worl&, we see a (reat state, or rather a worl& empire, that offi"ially re.e"ts
any spe"ies of reli(ion an& has a&opte& a so"ial an& e&u"ational poli"y
inspire& by militant atheism. 1ut this ten&en"y is not "onfine& to 0ussia or
to the followers of "ommunism. 1oth in 2urope an& Ameri"a there is a
stron( anti3 reli(ious mo'ement that in"lu&es many of our ablest mo&ern
writers an& a few men of s"ien"e. +t seeks not only to &estroy reli(ion, but
also to re'olutionise morals an& to &is"re&it the ethi"al i&eals whi"h ha'e
hitherto inspire& Western so"iety.
This, + think, is one of the most si(nifi"ant features of the present situation.
Criti"s of reli(ion in the past ha'e, as a rule, been an,ious to &isso"iate the
reli(ious from the moral issue. They were often stri"t moralists, like the late
John )orley, who mana(e& to "lothe atheism in the fro"k "oat an& top hat
of 4i"torian respe"tability. 1ut to&ay the soli&arity of reli(ion an& morals is
a&mitte& on both si&es. +f 2urope aban&ons Christianity, it must also
aban&on its moral "o&e. An& "on'ersely the mo&ern ten&en"y to break away
from tra&itional morality stren(thens the intelle"tual re'olt a(ainst reli(ious
belief.
At first si(ht it seems as thou(h the for"es of "han(e in the mo&ern worl&
were &efinitely hostile to reli(ion, an& that we are rapi&ly approa"hin( a
purely se"ular state of "i'ilisation. 1ut it is not so easy to (et ri& of reli(ion
as we mi(ht ima(ine. +t is easy enou(h for the in&i'i&ual to a&opt a ne(ati'e
attitu&e of "riti"al s"epti"ism. 1ut if so"iety as a whole aban&ons all positi'e
beliefs, it is powerless to resist the &isinte(ratin( effe"ts of selfishness an&
pri'ate interest. 2'ery so"iety rests in the last resort on the re"o(nition of
"ommon prin"iples an& "ommon i&eals, an& if it makes no moral or spiritual
appeal to the loyalty of its members, it must ine'itably fall to pie"es.
+n the past, so"iety foun& this unifyin( prin"iple in its reli(ious beliefs/ in
fa"t reli(ion was the 'ital "entre of the whole so"ial or(anism. An& if a state
&i& not alrea&y possess a "ommon reli(ious basis, it attempte& to "reate one
artifi"ially, like the offi"ial Caesar3worship that be"ame the state reli(ion of
the 0oman 2mpire. An& so, to&ay, if the state "an no lon(er appeal to the
ol& moral prin"iples that belon( to the Christian tra&ition, it will be for"e&
to "reate a new offi"ial faith an& new moral prin"iples whi"h will be bin&in(
on its "iti5ens.
6ere a(ain 0ussia supplies the ob'ious illustration. The Communist
re.e"tion of reli(ion an& Christian morality has not le& to the aban&onment
of so"ial "ontrol an& the unrestri"te& free&om of opinion in matters of
belief. 7n the "ontrary, it has in'ol'e& an intensifi"ation of so"ial "ontrol
o'er the beliefs an& the spiritual life of the in&i'i&ual "iti5en. +n fa"t, what
the Communists ha'e &one is not to (et ri& of reli(ion, but merely to
substitute a new an& stri"ter Communist reli(ion for the ol& offi"ial
ortho&o,y. The Communist arty is a reli(ious se"t whi"h e,ists to sprea&
the true faith. +t has its +n8uisition for the &ete"tion an& punishment of
heresy. +t employs the weapon of e,"ommuni"ation a(ainst &isloyal or
unortho&o, members. +t possesses in the writin(s of )ar, its infallible
s"riptures, an& it re'eres in 9enin, if not a :o&, at least a sa'iour an& a
prophet.
+t may be sai& that this is an abnormal &e'elopment &ue to the e,"esses of
the 0ussian temperament. 1ut it is abnormal only in its e,a((erations. The
moment that a so"iety "laims the "omplete alle(ian"e of its members, it
assumes a 8uasi3reli(ious authority. ;or sin"e man is essentially spiritual,
any power that "laims to "ontrol the whole man is for"e& to trans"en&
relati'e an& parti"ular aims an& to enter the sphere of absolute 'alues, whi"h
is the realm of reli(ion. 7n the other han&, if the state "onsents to the
limitation of its aims to the politi"al sphere, it has to a&mit that its i&eal is
only a relati'e one an& that it must a""ept the ultimate suprema"y of
spiritual i&eals whi"h lie outsi&e its pro'in"e.
This is the solution that Western so"iety has hitherto "hosen, but it implies
the e,isten"e of an in&epen&ent spiritual power, whether it be a reli(ious
faith or a "ommon moral i&eal. +f these are absent, the state is for"e& to
"laim an absolute an& almost reli(ious authority, thou(h not ne"essarily in
the same way that the Communist state has &one. We "an easily "on"ei'e a
&ifferent type of se"ularism that "onforms to the nee&s of "apitalist so"iety<
in&ee&, we are witnessin( the emer(en"e of somethin( of the kin& in the
=nite& !tates, thou(h it is still somewhat "oloure& by sur'i'als from the
ol&er rotestant tra&ition.
An& so too in Western 2urope the ten&en"y seems all towar&s the
&e'elopment of a purely se"ular type of "ulture whi"h subor&inates the
whole of life to pra"ti"al an& e"onomi" en&s an& lea'es no room for any
in&epen&ent spiritual a"ti'ity. >e'ertheless a "i'ilisation that fails to satisfy
the nee&s of man?s spiritual nature "annot be permanently su""essful. +t
pro&u"es a state of spiritual "onfli"t an& moral mala&.ustment whi"h
weakens the 'itality of the whole so"ial or(anism. This is why our mo&ern
ma"hine3ma&e "i'ilisation, in spite of the material benefits that it has
"onferre&, is marke& by a feelin( of moral unrest an& so"ial &is"ontent
whi"h was absent from the ol& reli(ious "ultures, althou(h the lot of the
or&inary man in them was infinitely har&er from the material point of 'iew.
-ou "an (i'e men foo& an& leisure an& amusements an& (oo& "on&itions of
work, an& still they will remain unsatisfie&. -ou "an &eny them all these
thin(s, an& they will not "omplain so lon( as they feel that they ha'e
somethin( to &ie for.
2'en if we re(ar& man as an animal, we must a&mit that he is a pe"uliar sort
of animal that will sa"rifi"e his interests to his i&eals@an animal that is
"apable of martyr&om. The statesman sees this when he appeals to the
or&inary man to lea'e his home an& his family an& to (o an& &ie painfully in
a &it"h for the sake of his "ountry/ an& the or&inary man &oes not refuse to
(o. The Communist re"o(nises this, when he "alls on the proletarian to
work har&er an& to eat less for the sake of the ;i'e3-ear lan an& the "ause
of worl& re'olution. 1ut when the sol&ier "omes ba"k from the war, an& the
Communist has realise& his =topia, they are apt to feel a "ertain
&isproportion between their sa"rifi"es an& the fruits of their a"hie'ements.
>ow it is the fun&amental "ontra&i"tion of materialism that it e,alts the
results of human a"hie'ement an& at the same time &enies the reality of the
spiritual for"es that ha'e ma&e this a"hie'ement possible. All the hi(hest
a"hie'ements of the human spirit, whether in the or&er of thou(ht or a"tion
or moral bein(, rest on a spiritual absolute an& be"ome impossible in a
worl& of purely e"onomi" or e'en purely human 'alues. +t is only in the
li(ht of reli(ious e,perien"e an& of absolute spiritual prin"iples that human
nature "an re"o(nise its own (reatness an& realise its hi(her potentialities.
There is a worl& of eternal spiritual realities in whi"h an& for whi"h the
worl& of man e,ists. That is the primary intuition that lies at the root of all
reli(ion, e'en of the most primiti'e kin&. The other &ay + "ame upon a 'ery
(oo& illustration of this, rather une,pe"te&ly, in a passa(e in one of 2&(ar
Walla"e?s no'els in whi"h he is &es"ribin( a reli(ious &is"ussion between a
white offi"er an& a West Afri"an me&i"ine3man. The former says AWhere in
the worl& are these (o&s of whom you are always talkin(*A an& the sa'a(e
answers, A7 man, know that the :o&s are not in the worl&/ it is the worl&
that is in the :o&s.A
+n our mo&ern "i'ilise& worl& this truth is no lon(er ob'ious/ it has be"ome
&im an& obs"ure&. >e'ertheless it "annot be &isre(ar&e& with impunity. The
"i'ilisation that &enies :o& &enies its own foun&ation. ;or the (lory of man
is a &im refle"tion of the (lory of :o&, an& when the latter is &enie& the
former fa&es.
Conse8uently the loss of the reli(ious sense whi"h is shown by the
in&ifferen"e or the hostility of the mo&ern worl& to Christianity is one of the
most serious weaknesses of our "i'ilisation an& in'ol'es a real &an(er to its
spiritual 'itality an& its so"ial stability. )an?s spiritual nee&s are none the
less stron( for bein( unre"o(nise&, an& if they are &enie& their satisfa"tion
throu(h reli(ion, they will fin& their "ompensation elsewhere, often in
&estru"ti'e an& anti3so"ial a"ti'ities. The man who is a spiritual misfit
be"omes morally alienate& from so"iety, an& whether that alienation takes
the form of a"ti'e hostility, as in the anar"hist or the "riminal, or merely of
passi'e non3"o3operation, as in the selfish in&i'i&ualist, it is boun& to be a
sour"e of &an(er. The "i'ilisation that fin&s no pla"e for reli(ion is a
maime& "ulture that has lost its spiritual roots an& is "on&emne& to sterility
an& &e"a&en"e. There "an, + think, be little &oubt that the present phase of
intense se"ularisation is a temporary one, an& that it will be followe& by a
far3rea"hin( rea"tion. + woul& e'en (o so far as to su((est that the return to
reli(ion promises to be one of the &ominant "hara"teristi"s of the "omin(
a(e. We all know how history follows a "ourse of alternate a"tion an&
rea"tion, an& how ea"h "entury an& ea"h (eneration ten&s to "ontra&i"t its
pre&e"essor. The 4i"torians rea"te& a(ainst the :eor(ians, an& we in turn
ha'e rea"te& a(ainst the 4i"torians. We re.e"t their stan&ar&s an& their
beliefs, .ust as they re.e"te& the stan&ar&s an& beliefs of their pre&e"essors.
1ut behin& these lesser wa'es of "han(e there is a &eeper mo'ement that
marks the su""ession of the a(es. There are times when the whole spirit of
"i'ilisation be"omes transforme& an& the stream of history seems to "han(e
its "ourse an& flow in a new &ire"tion. 7ne su"h mo'ement o""urre& si,teen
hun&re& years a(o, when the an"ient worl& be"ame Christian. Another
o""urre& in the si,teenth "entury with the "omin( of the 0enaissan"e an&
the 0eformation, whi"h brou(ht the me&iae'al worl& to an en& an&
inau(urate& a new a(e. An& the for"es of transformation that are at work in
the worl& to&ay seem to betoken the "omin( of another su"h "han(e in the
"hara"ter of "i'ilisation, whi"h is perhaps e'en more fun&amental than that
of the si,teenth "entury.
All the "hara"teristi" mo'ements that marke& the "ulture of the last four
"enturies are passin( away an& (i'in( pla"e to new ten&en"ies. We see this
not only in politi"s an& the material or(anisation of life, but also in art an&
literature an& s"ien"e/ for e,ample, in the ten&en"y of mo&ern art to
aban&on the naturalisti" prin"iples that (o'erne& its &e'elopment from the
0enaissan"e to the nineteenth "entury in fa'our of new "anons of style that
ha'e more in "ommon with the art of 1y5antium an& of the an"ient 2ast.
We are not, in&ee&, (oin( ba"k to the )i&&le A(es, but we are (oin(
forwar& to a new a(e whi"h is no less &ifferent from the last a(e than that
was from the me&iae'al perio&.
1ut if this is so, may it not be that reli(ion is one of the outworn mo&es of
thou(ht that are bein( aban&one& an& that the new a(e will be an a(e of
rationalism an& se"ularism an& materialism* This is, as we ha'e seen, the
"urrent belief, but then the "urrent beliefs are always out of &ate. +t is
&iffi"ult to realise how mu"h of "urrent thinkin( belon(s to the past,
be"ause it is natural for men?s min&s to be soake& in the mental atmosphere
of the last (eneration, an& it nee&s a "onsi&erable effort to see thin(s as they
are an& not as other people ha'e seen them. The artist an& the philosopher
an& the s"ientist, ea"h in his own way, sees life &ire"t, but the ma.ority of
men see it at se"on&3han& throu(h the a""epte& i&eas of their so"iety an&
"ulture. An& "onse8uently, the ten&en"ies that we re(ar& as "hara"teristi" of
the a(e are often those that are "hara"teristi" of the a(e that is .ust passin(
away rather than of that whi"h is be(innin(.
Thus in fa"t the ten&en"ies that ar" hostile to reli(ion an& make for
se"ularism an& materialism are not new ten&en"ies. They ha'e been at work
in 2urope for "enturies. The whole mo&ern perio& from the 0enaissan"e to
the nineteenth "entury was a lon( pro"ess of re'olt in whi"h the tra&itional
or&er of life an& its reli(ious foun&ations were bein( un&ermine& by
"riti"ism an& &oubt. +t was an a(e of spiritual &isinte(ration in whi"h
Christen&om was &i'i&e& into a mass of warrin( se"ts, an& the Chur"hes
that resiste& this ten&en"y &i& so only by a ri(i& &is"ipline whi"h le& to
reli(ious perse"ution an& the &enial of in&i'i&ual free&om. An& this a(ain
brou(ht reli(ion into "onfli"t with the spirit of the a(e/ for it was an a(e of
in&i'i&ualism, &ominate& by the 0enaissan"e i&eal of liberty of thou(ht, the
0eformation i&eal of liberty of "ons"ien"e, the in&i'i&ualist i&eal of
e"onomi" liberty an& the romanti" i&eal of liberty of feelin( an& "on&u"t. +t
was an a(e of se"ularism in whi"h the state substitute& itself for the Chur"h
as the ultimate authority in men?s li'es an& the supreme en& of so"ial
a"ti'ity. An& finally it was an a(e whi"h witnesse& the triumphant
&e'elopment of s"ientifi" materialism, base& on a me"hanisti" theory of the
worl& that seeme& to lea'e no room for human free&om or spiritual reality.
To&ay this pro"ess of re'olution has worke& itself out, so that there is har&ly
anythin( left to re'olt a(ainst. After &estroyin( the ol& or&er, we are
be(innin( to turn roun& an& look for some firm foun&ation on whi"h we "an
buil& anew. Alrea&y in so"ial life we are witnessin( the passin( of
in&i'i&ualism an& the re"o'ery of a sense of "ommunity. +n e"onomi"s for
e,ample, the nineteenth3"entury i&eal of unrestri"te& free&om an&
in&i'i&ual initiati'e has (i'en pla"e to an intense &eman& for so"ial
or(anisation an& so"ial "ontrol.
9ooke& at from this point of 'iew, so"ialism an& "ommunism are not purely
re'olutionary an& ne(ati'e mo'ements. They mark the turn of the ti&e. Barl
)ar, was amon( the first to feel the insuffi"ien"y of the liberal
re'olutionary tra&ition an& the nee& for a new effort of so"ial "onstru"tion.
An& so he built on what seeme& to his a(e to be an ultimate foun&ation@
the be&3ro"k of s"ientifi" materialism. 1ut to&ay we realise that the
materialisti" theory of the nineteenth "entury was no more final than the
s"ientifi" theories that it superse&e&. !"ien"e, whi"h has e,plaine& so mu"h,
has en&e& by e,plainin( away matter itself, an& has left us with a skeleton
uni'erse of mathemati"al formulae. Conse8uently the nai'e materialism that
re(ar&e& )atter with a "apital ) as the one reality is no lon(er a""eptable,
for we ha'e "ome to see that the fun&amental thin( in the worl& is not
)atter but ;orm. The uni'erse is not .ust a mass of soli& parti"les of matter
(o'erne& by blin& &eterminism an& "han"e. +t possesses an or(ani"
stru"ture, an& the further we penetrate into the nature of reality the more
important &oes this prin"iple of form be"ome.
An& so we "an no lon(er &ismiss min& an& spiritual reality as unreal or less
real than the material worl&, for it is .ust in min& an& in the spiritual worl&
that the element of form is most supreme. +t is the min& that is the key of the
uni'erse, not matter. +n the 1e(innin( was the Wor&, an& it is the "reati'e
an& informin( power of the Wor& that is the foun&ation of reality.
An& if this is true of the worl& of nature, it is still more true of the worl& of
so"iety an& "ulture. We must aban&on the 'ain attempt to &isre(ar& spiritual
unity an& to look for a basis of so"ial "onstru"tion in material an& e,ternal
thin(s. The a""eptan"e of spiritual reality must be the basi" element in the
"ulture of the future, for it is spirit that is the prin"iple of unity an& matter
that is the prin"iple of &i'ision. An& as soon as this truth is a&mitte&,
reli(ion will no lon(er appear as an unessential an& e,traneous element in
"ulture, but as its most 'ital element. ;or reli(ion is the bon& that unites
man to spiritual reality, an& it is only in reli(ion that so"iety "an fin& the
prin"iple of spiritual union of whi"h it stan&s in nee&. >o se"ular i&eal of
so"ial pro(ress or e"onomi" effi"ien"y "an take the pla"e of this. +t is only
the i&eal of a spiritual or&er whi"h trans"en&s the relati'e 'alue of the
e"onomi" an& politi"al worl& that is "apable of o'er"omin( the for"es of
&isinte(ration an& &estru"tion that e,ist in mo&ern "i'ilisation. The faith of
the future "annot be e"onomi" or s"ientifi" or e'en moral/ it must be
reli(ious.
This is .ust where the new artifi"ial manma&e reli(ions, like ositi'ism, fail.
They la"k the one thin( that is ne"essary, namely, reli(ious faith. +t is a
"omplete mistake to think that we "an brin( reli(ion up3to3&ate by makin( it
"onform to our wishes an& to the &ominant pre.u&i"es of the moment. +f we
feel that mo&ern so"iety is out of tou"h with s"ien"e, we &o not "all on the
s"ientists to "han(e their 'iews an& to (i'e us somethin( more popular. We
realise that we ha'e (ot to (i'e more thou(ht an& more work to s"ien"e. +n
the same way the (reat "ause of the &e"line of reli(ion is that we ha'e lost
tou"h with it, either by aban&onin( reli(ion alto(ether, or by "ontentin(
oursel'es with a nominal outwar& profession that &oes not affe"t our &aily
life an& our real interests. An& the only way to brin( reli(ion into tou"h with
the mo&ern worl& is to (i'e it the first pla"e in our own thou(ht an& in our
own li'es. +f we wish to be s"ientifi", we must submit to the authority of
s"ien"e an& sa"rifi"e our easy a""eptan"e of thin(s as they seem to the
se'ere &is"ipline of s"ientifi" metho&. An& in the same way, if we wish to
be reli(ious we must submit to reli(ious authority an& a""ept the prin"iples
of the spiritual or&er. +n the material worl&, man must "onform himself to
realities, otherwise he will perish. An& the same is true in the spiritual
worl&. :o& "omes first, not man. 6e is more real than the whole e,ternal
uni'erse. )an passes away, empires an& "i'ilisations rise an& fall, the stars
(row ol&/ :o& remains.
This is the fun&amental truth whi"h runs throu(h the whole of the 1ible.
There is, of "ourse, a (reat &eal more than this in Christianity. +n fa"t, it is a
truth that Christianity shares with pra"ti"ally all the reli(ions of the worl&.
>e'ertheless it is .ust this truth that the mo&ern worl&, like the an"ient
worl& before it, fin&s most &iffi"ult to a""ept. -ou e'en fin& people who
re.e"t it an& still wish to "all themsel'es Christians. They water &own
reli(ion to a series of moral platitu&es an& then &i(nify this mi,ture of
'a(ue reli(iosity an& well3meanin( moral optimism with the respe"table
name of Christianity.
A Concrete reality
+n reality Christianity is not merely a moral i&eal or set of i&eas. +t is a
"on"rete reality. +t is the spiritual or&er in"arnate& in a histori"al person an&
in a histori"al so"iety. The spiritual or&er is .ust as real as the material or&er.
The reason we &o not see it is be"ause we &o not look at it. 7ur interests an&
our thou(hts are elsewhere. A few e,"eptional men, mysti"s or
philosophers, may fin& it possible to li'e habitually on a spiritual plane, but
for the or&inary man it is a &iffi"ult atmosphere to breathe in. 1ut it is the
fun"tion of Christianity to brin( the spiritual or&er into "onta"t an& relation
with the worl& of man. +t is, as it were, a bri&(e between the two worl&s/ it
brin(s reli(ion &own into human life an& it opens the &oor of the spiritual
worl& to man. +ts i&eal is not a stati" an& un"han(in( or&er like that of the
other worl& reli(ions. +t is a spiritual so"iety or or(anism that has
in"orporate& itself with humanity an& that takes into itself as it pro"ee&s all
that is 'ital an& permanent in human life an& "i'ilisation. +t aims at nothin(
less than the spiritual inte(ration of humanity, its &eli'eran"e from the
tyranny of material for"e an& the &ominion of selfish aims, an& its
re"onstitution in spiritual unity.
An& thus there are two prin"iples in Christianity whi"h thou(h they
sometimes appear "ontra&i"tory are e8ually essential as the two poles of the
spiritual or&er. There is the prin"iple of trans"en&en"e, represente& by the
apo"alypti", as"eti", worl&3&enyin( element in reli(ion, an& there is the
prin"iple of "atholi"ity, whi"h fin&s e,pression in the histori", so"ial, worl&3
embra"in( a"ti'ity of the Chur"h. A one3si&e& emphasis on the former of
these lea&s to se"tarianism, as we see in the history of the early Christian
se"ts that refuse& all "ompromise with se"ular "i'ilisation an& stoo& asi&e in
an attitu&e of ne(ati'e an& sterile isolation. 1ut the Catholi" Chur"h
re.e"te& this solution as a betrayal of its uni'ersal mission.
+t "on'erte& the an"ient worl&/ it be"ame the Chur"h of the 2mpire/ an& it
took up into itself the tra&itional herita(e of "ulture that the uritanism of
the se"taries &espise&. +n this way the Chur"h o'er"ame the "onfli"t
between reli(ion an& se"ular "ulture that ha& weakene& the for"es of 0oman
so"iety, an& lai& the foun&ations of a new "i'ilisation. ;or more than a
thousan& years so"iety foun& its "entre of unity an& its prin"iple of or&er in
Christianity. 1ut the me&iae'al synthesis, both in its 1y5antine an&
me&iae'al form, while it (a'e a more "omplete e,pression to the so"ial
fun"tion of Christianity than any other a(e has &one, ran the risk of
"ompromisin( the other Christian prin"iple of trans"en&en"e by the
immersion of the spiritual in the temporal or&er@the i&entifi"ation of the
Chur"h an& the Worl&. The history of me&iae'al Christen&om shows a
"ontinuous series of efforts on the part of ortho&o, reformers an& Catharist
an& AspiritualA hereti"s a(ainst the se"ularisation an& worl&liness of the
Chur"h. An&, as the wealth an& intelle"tual "ulture of Western 2urope
in"rease&, the tension (rew more a"ute.
+t was the "omin( of the 0enaissan"e an& the whole3hearte& a""eptan"e by
the apa"y of the new humanist "ulture that stret"he& the me&iae'al
synthesis to breakin(3point an& pro&u"e& a new outburst of reformin(
se"tarianism. +t is true that Catholi"ism met the "hallen(e of the
0eformation by its own mo'ement of spiritual reform. 1ut it faile& to
re"o'er the lost unity of Christen&om an& was for"e& to lose tou"h with the
&ominant mo'ements in se"ular "ulture. Thus Christianity with&rew more
an& more into the sphere of the in&i'i&ual reli(ious life an& the worl& went
its own way. 2uropean "i'ilisation was rationalise& an& se"ularise& until it
"ease& e'en nominally to be Christian. >e'ertheless it "ontinue& to subsist
un"ons"iously on the a""umulate& "apital of its Christian past, from whi"h
it &rew the moral an& so"ial i&ealism that inspire& the humanitarian an&
liberal an& &emo"rati" mo'ements of the last two "enturies. To&ay this
spiritual "apital is e,hauste&, an& "i'ilisation is fa"e& with the "hoi"e
between a return to the spiritual tra&itions of Christianity or the renun"iation
of them in fa'our of "omplete so"ial materialism.
1ut if Christianity is to re(ain its influen"e, it must re"o'er its unity an& its
so"ial a"ti'ity. The reli(ious in&i'i&ualism of the last a(e, with its self3
"entre& absorption in the 8uestion of personal sal'ation an& pri'ate reli(ious
emotion, will not help us. The Christianity of the future must be a so"ial
Christianity that is embo&ie& in a real so"iety, not an ima(inary or in'isible
one. An& this so"iety must not be merely a part of the e,istin( so"ial an&
politi"al or&er, like the establishe& "hur"hes of the past/ it must be an
in&epen&ent an& uni'ersal so"iety, not a national or lo"al one. The only
so"iety that fulfills these "on&itions is the Catholi" Chur"h, the most an"ient
yet, at the same time, the most a&aptable of all e,istin( institutions. +t is true
that Catholi"ism has suffere& (rie'ously from the se"tarian &i'ision an&
strife of the last four hun&re& years, but it has su""ee&e& in surmountin( the
lon( &rawn3out "risis that followe& the &issolution of the me&iae'al
synthesis, an& it stan&s out to&ay as the one remainin( "entre of unity an&
spiritual or&er in 2urope. +f Christianity is ne"essary to 2urope, the Catholi"
Chur"h is no less ne"essary to Christianity, for without it the latter woul&
be"ome no more than a mass of &i'er(ent opinions &issol'in( un&er the
pressure of rationalist "riti"ism an& se"ularist "ulture. +t was by 'irtue of the
Catholi" i&eal of spiritual unity that the so"ial unity of 2uropean "ulture
emer(e& from the welter of barbarism, an& the mo&ern worl& stan&s no less
in nee& of su"h an i&eal if it is to realise in the future the wi&er unity of a
worl& "i'ilisation.
1ut thou(h Christianity is ne"essary to "i'ilisation, we must not for(et the
profoun& &ifferen"e that there is between them. +t is the (reat para&o, of
Christianity, as >ewman so often insiste&, that thou(h Christianity is a
prin"iple of life to "i'ilisation e'en in se"ular matters, it is "ontinually at
issue with the worl& an& always seems on the 'er(e of bein( &estroye& by
it. Thus the Chur"h is ne"essary to 2urope, an& yet any a""eptan"e of the
Chur"h be"ause it is ne"essary to so"iety is &estru"ti'e of its real essen"e.
>othin( "oul& be more fatal to the spirit of Christianity than a return to
Christianity for politi"al reasons.
1ut, on the other han&, any attempt to "reate a purely politi"al or so"ial
reli(ion is e8ually &estine& to fail. >othin( is more remarkable than the
"ollapse of all the efforts to "reate an artifi"ial reli(ion to meet Athe nee&s of
the a(e.A Deism, !aint3!imonianism, ositi'ism an& the rest ha'e all en&e&
in failure. +t is only a reli(ion that trans"en&s politi"al an& e"onomi"
"ate(ories an& is in&ifferent to material results that has the power of
satisfyin( the nee& of the worl&. As >ewman wrote ei(hty years a(o< Athe
Catholi" Chur"h has a""ompanie& human so"iety throu(h one re'olution of
its (reat year/ an& it is now be(innin( a se"on&. !he has passe& throu(h the
full "y"le of "han(es in or&er to show that she is in&epen&ent of them all.
!he has ha& trial of 2ast an& West, of monar"hy an& &emo"ra"y, of pea"e
an& war, of times of &arkness an& times of philosophy, of ol& "ountries an&
youn(.A
An& to&ay she still stan&s as she &i& un&er the 0oman 2mpire, as the
representati'e in a "han(in( worl& of an un"han(in( spiritual or&er. That is
why + belie'e the Chur"h that ma&e 2urope may yet sa'e 2urope, an& that,
in the (reat wor&s of the 2aster litur(y< Athe whole worl& may e,perien"e
an& see what was fallen raise& up, what ha& (rown ol& ma&e new, an& all
thin(s returnin( to unity throu(h 6im from whom they took their
be(innin(.A
un&efine&